Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has found himself at the center of a scandal after saying in a published article that there are “no French players” on the French national football team, The Guardian reports.

In a column for the Spanish outlet El Debate about the upcoming World Cup semifinal between Spain and France, Rajoy acknowledged the strength of the French team but added: “It is worth remembering that France are two-time world champions… They have an excellent team. At the same time, they have no French players. And they play very well.”

These remarks triggered a wave of criticism in France and Spain. The politician’s opponents accused him of casting doubt on the French identity of players because of their origin or skin color.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez responded, saying that some people still “measure belonging to a country by surname, place of birth, or skin color.”

“Others measure it by our roots in the country and our desire to contribute — by playing football, caring for the elderly, or starting a business. Spain belongs to those who love it and work for it, not to those who disgrace it with xenophobic statements,” Sánchez wrote on X.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called Rajoy’s statement “completely unacceptable.”

“France is a country of diversity, where everyone can find their place,” he said.

French Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure stressed that the national team consists exclusively of French citizens.

“France is not an ethnic nation. It has no skin color or religion. It is a political nation united by republican values,” he wrote.

Critics also compared Rajoy’s words to a recent scandal involving a Paraguayan senator who faced accusations of racism after attacking French footballer Kylian Mbappé.

Amid the dispute, French politicians once again raised the issue that the success of France’s multicultural national team regularly becomes the target of racist attacks from far-right circles.